A little watermelon juice goes a long way in this refreshing summer cocktail. Omit the vodka to make it a mocktail.

Happy Friday afternoon! I played around with some watermelon and vodka to create today’s summery cocktail. I made two versions of it - one with simple syrup and one with honeysuckle syrup. There wasn’t a discernable difference between the two because it’s the watermelon flavor that’s most prominent in this drink. The two sweeteners are interchangeable in this drink.

The watermelon juice for the drink is simple to make. Cut up some watermelon. Use a blender or stick blender to turn it into mush. Pass it though a sieve to get rid of any seeds and smooth it out. Easy peasy.

Add watermelon juice, simple syrup and lemon juice. Fill to top of glass with ginger ale. Stir gently with a cocktail spoon.

Garnish with a lemon wedge.

To make it a mocktail, omit the vodka, add 2 ½ oz of watermelon juice instead of 1 oz, and continue with the directions. My 12-year-old son says, “It tastes just like I’m drinking a watermelon. It’s fabulous.”